Unfortunately, AI just changed growing a creative business FOREVER

0:00 AI has forever changed how you grow a creative business, but the thing is, I think I might have made it easier. Countless surveys are coming out saying that 20 to 30% of illustrators are losing work to generative AI. And no matter where you go online, it's becoming virtually impossible to avoid seeing AI slop. But there's something else happening here, too, and I actually predicted it all the way back in 2023. I think in a world where a vast majority of media that we consume, art that we consume is generated by AI, that human labor, like human-created goods, would likely have even more value precisely because they were created by humans. If you're new here, hi, I'm Kelsey. I have helped hundreds of creatives build a profitable businesses based on their work, and I think there is a room right

0:47 now for any creative to build one if you know how to position yourself in the AI economy. So, in this video, I want to walk you through what changed, how buyers are reacting, and what you need to do about it. So, let's start with the bad news. Images are now incredibly cheap. Something that might have cost a small business a hundred bucks and a week of back-and-forth with an artist now costs them nothing and takes 30 seconds. Does it look good? I don't personally think so. I think it usually looks pretty bad, but a lot of folks don't have that taste and the eye for design that you and I do. They would call it good enough. A lot of low-level junior positions, like the kind of work that you would normally have gotten right out of college, it just doesn't exist anymore. It's just been completely

1:32 replaced. And a recent report estimated that nearly 55,000 US jobs were cut as a direct result of AI in 2025. That's across every industry, but I definitely think that creatives are feeling it first and more than other folks. I have heard lots of stories of creatives that used to serve small businesses and offer like low-ticket services and illustration, logo design, et cetera, and are now out of business. Like they just don't have any work anymore. And not only is AI taking the job of artists and creatives, taking work away from us that we would normally have in a different economy, but it was trained using our work. Our work was stolen, and it was used to train these models. And as a result, lots of creatives are now getting false accusations of their work

2:18 being AI. I actually got an email. I got an email like a few days ago, being like, "Kelsey, why are you using AI for your thumbnails?" And it was just a picture of me. It was just a picture of me with curly hair and a nice shirt, and like some Photoshop's uh text and like an iPad kind of like screen, and that was just me. A photo that I took of my own face. And I'm taking it as a compliment because that person was like, "Your hair never looks that good." I'm getting things like this all the time. A lot of artists that I know that even showcase their own process, like videos of them making their work, be that digital or traditional, are being accused of using AI. And actually, uh back in March, the Philadelphia Flyers posted a graphic for their dollar hot dog night, and got swarmed with

3:05 accusations of them using AI. Except they didn't. They paid a real artist, a real illustrator. And a few hours later, they posted like a reel of that person doing the thing. I don't know I don't I don't want to call it a witch hunt, but like people are on the prowl for usage of AI, and they are holding the wielders of this technology accountable. Because like I said in 2023, all those years ago, whenever we start seeing a massive new trend, people will naturally start craving the opposite. It's like Newton's third law of motion. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Every cultural force has its foil. And you can see this kind of everywhere when you start looking. Small businesses are posting hand-drawn signs and flyers, and

3:50 going viral for it. The handmade one is wobbly and imperfect and there's a spelling error and people love it. They're so into it. And meanwhile, you can spot an AI flyer from space. It is so obvious. There are so many tells and big brands are learning that consumers have this preference and it's a very strong preference the hard way. Last December, I think it was in like the Netherlands, McDonald's had this Christmas commercial that was made entirely with AI. People called it creepy and inauthentic and it is like kind of jarring and like unsettling in my opinion. And within a few days, McDonald's pulled that entire ad. And can I be honest? Consumers not liking AI, their hatred for AI slop, even though it results in some witch-hunty

4:36 like behavior and some false allegations to real artists and creatives that are damaging and hurtful. Even though we're having like those negative externalities here, I do think the trend in general of humans really liking work that is made by humans and rejecting the AI-made stuff, I think this is good for artists because it shows us that humans do want to connect with other humans. We do want work that is made by someone, by the person that has a story and a point of view and a philosophy and a reason why they make the things that they do. And what I want to walk you through are the four things that I think that you have to do if you do want to make the most of this moment. And number one is to show the proof. This artist on Instagram, I think her name is Sarah, recently went viral for sharing how when she finishes

5:21 the painting, she cuts off a little bit of the palette and then attaches it to the certificate of authenticity. The buyer gets a literal piece of the process. You can do a version of this with almost anything. You could include like a handwritten note or a thumb print in the clay or a little sketch on the packaging slip. Anything that lets us know that a person put time and effort into this thing. What I don't want you to do is to end up in a situation where you have to be like the Philadelphia Flyers on the defensive, right? Where you have to defend yourself and prove that you are not AI. In general, I think that artists and creatives often share too much process content as a thing they think folks are naturally interested in,

6:06 and they don't tell enough of their own story and the emotions and feelings and inspirations behind their work. But, I do think that time-lapse videos and process content has a place in your strategy, and it's here. And even Apple themselves have been leaning into showcasing process. When they made the new Apple TV intro, they shared the entire process of how they pulled off the effect using practical effects. So, real light, real materials, real people who are working in a studio together. And proof of process works like a testimonial. It is social proof. It builds trust. And I think what we're seeing right now with all of this AI stuff is a drought of trust. There is a massive famine of trust. And so, we have

6:53 to get ahead of this. We have to have a plan in our business of how we are going to build the belief in our customers that we can be trusted. The next point that I want to make here will maybe be somewhat controversial, but I know a lot of creatives who swear up and down that they hate using AI. That they hate it so much, they would never do it. And I can see the hallmarks of AI in their content, in their emails, in their sales copy, in their captions, in their YouTube titles, and I know they're using it. I think that using AI for the customer-focused content, for the imagery and the sales copy on your website and stuff like that, I think it just makes your business weaker. Because customers have this preference, right? Of not liking AI. They really, really hate it. And so, when you use it in a

7:40 way where they can tell, they're going to ask themselves, like, oh, if you're using AI for this, what else are you using it for? If you're cutting corners here, what other corners are you cutting? And that's not a question that you want your customers to be asking themselves. The next point that I want to make here is that I think the smartest creatives in this moment right now are leaning into experience. So, Dimension 20, which is a Dungeons & Dragons show starring a bunch of improv comedians, that show recently sold out Madison Square Garden in New York City, their live event. I know creatives from a dozen niches who are launching in-person or virtual events, building connection with their following, and having a lot of excitement and a lot of energy at this idea of a community or an

8:27 experience. I think that what AI does not give us is that connection, right? That connection with another person. And so, if you are able to add something like a book club that happens on Zoom or an in-person retreat or a meet and greet event or a live workshop or something like this to your business, I think you will be able to build really good, strong relationships between you and your ideal customers. The creatives that think right now about how to build true, immersive worlds and immersive experiences, I think will exit this period, however it ends, whatever happens, with a stronger business in place because it will be rooted in humans. The last point that I really want to make here is to not turn your art into a commodity.

9:14 >> [snorts] >> So, a commodity is anything where one version is basically as good as the other, right? So, like printer paper, for example, or a bag of rice. Yeah, there are some quality differences, sometimes there are some specialty varieties, but nobody really cares what the brand is. Whoever's cheapest wins. We do not want that dynamic when it comes to selling your work. And AI threatens to turn a lot of creative work on its surface into a commodity. If what you are selling is a nice picture of a cat, then you're going to be sitting in the same aisle as a cat picture that's generated for free in 30 seconds and has no costs and can beat you on price any day of the week and twice on Sundays,

9:59 okay? You have to price your work unashamedly. You have to price it like you are a person with a story and you have to have a story. You have to have a story, a reason why your work is better than the other stuff out there, why it has more meaning, why you will connect with it more. And this is why I have been like doing so much at trying to convince you, if you have watched the channel before, that you have to lean into story and emotion and feeling. The way that you escape being commoditized is by separating yourself, by differentiating yourself in the marketplace, okay? So, you have to be so human. You have to have such a good story. You have to have so much inspiration and heart in your work that you could never be compared to the

10:45 commodities. You're not even in the same galaxy as them. That is the kind of branding you have to have. And you can only achieve this, this level of differentiation, when you lean into story and emotion and feeling and when you communicate that into your content, when you show your face on camera, if you want to. You don't have to, but if you do, that's better. And if you talk about your story more, if you allow yourself to be vulnerable with your audience even, it just builds so much more of a relationship. But even if you follow all of the advice that I gave you in this video, if you don't understand how to sell your own work, you are going to struggle. So, I made a video on how to make your first $1,000 a month in your business using just your phone. If you want to watch it, keep hanging out, check out this video here. And I also

11:31 have an email newsletter. I write stuff like this in it every single week. Join that if you want. Link in the description. All right, I'll see you later. Bye.